A father and his five children have been killed by rebels of Ugandan origin ADF against which the Congolese army claims to conduct major offensives in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo for a fortnight, local officials said Friday. .
« We are sorry to see this morning (Friday) the death of six civilians, a father and his five children, in Oicha (territory of Beni, North Kivu, east), work of the ADF during their incursion (Thursday) to 21h, « told AFP Donat Kibwana, Beni territory administrator.
« There are also three wounded including a child seriously injured. The situation is currently tense. We are calming the population, « he added.
For its part, the army reports that one of its patrols has « clashed with the enemy » who had infiltrated bypassing the positions of the regular forces, thus limiting the number of civilians killed.
His spokesman in the region, Major Mak Hazukay, confirmed the death toll of six family members killed.
In total, some 25 civilians have been killed in attacks attributed to the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF) since the announcement of the launch of military operations on 30 October.
Residents criticize the army for not reacting to the warnings of the population and focus operations in the vicinity of Beni, not north to the Ugandan border (Mbau, Eringeti …).
Historically Ugandan Muslim rebels, the ADF have been present in the current DRC since 1995. They are accused of killing hundreds or even more than a thousand civilians in the Beni region since October 2014.
The Islamic State Organization has claimed some of their latest attacks since the beginning of the year, but there is no compelling evidence of ADF affiliation to « Islamic State – Central African Province » « .
Laisser un commentaire